Home
by ddproxcm
Summary: Home- A place where one lives; a residence. Some believe it's where you lay your roots, others believe it's where the heart is. When Kory has to return to Tamaran, she soon finds out there's more to her "home" than she previously thought. BTY-Universe
1. Prologue

_"The mind is its own place, and in itself_

_Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n."_

John Milton_, ____Paradise Lost_

* * *

"I'm so sorry."

Dick stood in front of a broken Koriand'r, internally begging his own resolve not to shatter. His heart ached for her, but as far as he was concerned, the outcome was what it was. He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst, knowing that it wouldn't make it easier.

"No." Kory whispered, disbelieving, as she stared out the ship's window. Yellow-orange flames danced violently with purple and brown debris in the distance, leaving nothing but tragedy and disaster in the space once occupied by her beautiful home planet - Tamaran.

"Please don't-" Dick continued, carefully approaching her.

"NO!" She violently shrugged off his sympathy and flew over to the window, pressing her face against the cold glass. "I should have stayed! I should have done something!"

"There's nothing you could have done," Dick ignored her outburst and walked toward his fiance. "If you would've stayed, you would have died."

"Maybe that was my fate. My people depended on me; I was greedy, selfish," Kory threatened to punch the glass causing Dick to wince. "I am a coward!"

Dick felt the sting of her words. She'd paid for Tamaran's peace with her own flesh - her own sacrifice. How could she believe that her fate was to die for a planet that had done nothing to repay her? A planet that didn't love her as much as he did. "You aren't a coward," he said, soothingly. "I know what you're thinking; you can't take all the blame on yourself."

"I will tell you what I am thinking," Kory said coolly, a venomous tone seeping through. "I should have never brought you along."

Dick blinked. "Wait, you're blaming me?"

"No, I am blaming myself for bringing you. Had I not, I would have been able to do whatever necessary-"

"You should be glad that I was there," Dick said as anger roused within him. "Things could have been much worse."

"Worse?!" Kory yelled. "What is worse than you dragging me away before I could even atone? You stole away my honor; it was the only thing I had left."

Dick glared back, his eyes filled with offense. "I didn't take _anything_ - you'd be _dead_ right now if not for me. Is that really what you wanted?!" Tears threatened to surface as he bit back the anguish in his voice. He watched Kory drop her head in shame as she thought about what he'd just said.

"Right now, yes. My planet - my people - they are gone and I am to blame."

"Your 'people', the ones you 'should have been loyal to', betrayed you. What about the people on Earth who have embraced and loved you? The ones that rely on you? Are they not your people?" Dick, realizing that he was talking more about himself than the general population, continued to remind Kory how much she should love his planet more than hers. He felt bad for egging on an argument that he knew would only make her feel worse, but he was hurting, too. He threw up his hands in defeat. "The Kory I know would have seen the importance of protecting those who have loved her for over a decade."

"Maybe I am not the Kory that you know anymore." She picked her head up to look him directly in the eyes. "I have done things that I have sworn that I would never do. Perhaps this is my punishment for living."

"I refuse to believe that," for the second time, Dick tried to place his hand on her shoulder. However, like the first, it was shoved off with the same ferocity. Dick retreated and took a few steps back. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but-"

"Tamaran is demolished; everyone is gone. Until you're the only remaining Terran in the universe, you will never begin to know my 'pain'." Kory turned on her heels and began walking toward the bedroom. "I am retiring now. Do not follow me."

Dick watched her leave the room before glancing out the window, taking in the amount of wreckage quickly filling into space. Tamaran truly had been a beautiful planet; too bad it's beauty became masked by the hatred and treachery that resided within it. Dick let out a sigh as he choked back tears.

He'd been on this ship for way too long – he just wanted to be _home_.

* * *

**Home**


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone, this is your captain speaking - just kidding :D I want to thank everyone that read the prologue and clicked "next" to continue on with this story. I can assure you that you made the right choice - thank you! For those of you thinking that the prologue left you slightly confused – good. It did it's job in intriguing you to find out what the heck is going on with our two favorite lovebirds. A lot of you may have read over this story before, but I urge you to re-read it because I am going through and making changes.

I won't have many author's notes in the future (I just feel that no one _really_ reads them) so if you have any questions during the story, feel free to message me directly and I will try my best to answer. **Also, I cannot stress how important reviews are.** Praise helps me get motivated to write - because I know people are reading and enjoying - and constructive criticism helps me grow as a writer and make the story the best that it can possibly be. Good or bad, I want hear it. I know, I know. I hate it when people beg for reviews, too, which is why I, as a writer, will never threaten not to post a chapter until I get a certain number of reviews. However, it's kind of pointless to waste my time on a story that no one is reading.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own DC comics.

* * *

**Home**

Chapter One

"We really need to take all this down," Dick said out loud, noticing the Christmas decorations that still hung in the tower's hallways. It was a new year - New Year's Day to be exact. He paused, contemplating actually starting the task himself. "No, I'll just make Gar do it."

"Probably a good task for him considering that you've already told him to do it twice and everything is still there."

Dick turned around to face his teammate, an apologetic look plastered on his face. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Raven began walking with Dick toward his destination. "I got the message as soon as you did, I'm sure. Any idea what's going on?"

After being buried in a never-ending amount of paperwork all day, he was too exhausted to attempt to mask the confusion. "Did I miss something?" He felt like his brain had turned to jell-o, preventing him from processing anything more than holiday trimmings. "I haven't heard anything."

"Victor said he had something to show us on the mainframe," Raven gestured down the hallway. "I thought he'd told you since you're headed that way."

Dick sighed, as he began walking briskly toward the common room. "I turned off the intercom in my room so I could concentrate." He silently cursed himself for doing it; what if something had happened to Kory?

"You're fine, Boy Wonder; he didn't make it sound like an emergency. And before you say anything, I didn't read your mind – I didn't have to."

Dick shrugged and remained silent for the rest of their walk. When they reached the room, Victor was sitting in front of the large computer, quickly tapping and moving boxes around on the database's large touch screen.

"It's about time," Victor said, still working on the screen. "I was clearing all of last year's video logs and I came across this. According to the time stamp, it came through on Christmas Day."

Victor quickly reached over and tapped one of the boxes he'd previously moved, prompting it to play.

"_hwelelo."_

"_K'worianwehaer"_

"_Hello...is anwonahd there?"_

"_Princess Koriand'r, you must return to Tamaran immediately. I hope this transmission sees you, for I fear the fate of our planet. The civil war has grown worse than anyone could have imagined and your father's illness has become very bleak indeed; they are not expecting him to live through the week."_

Dick watched as Kory, from a somewhat hidden corner of the room, walked closer to the screen, trying to comprehend exactly what was happening. He forced his brain out of auto-pilot, trying his best to piece together what this meant for Kory and ultimately, himself.

"Is this the only transmission we received?" Dick asked as he stepped forward from behind Kory. "Why didn't we get it earlier?"

"I don't know." Victor turned around to look at the couple. "The system is still new."

Kory gasped as though she'd been holding her breath. "My father is dead."

Victor continued. "I double – no, triple – checked; that was the only transmission that got through. As you can hear, it's not a great connection. I don't know if sending a message back would do any good, but we can try."

Kory gave no response as she stared at the screen. The last time she'd spoken with her father, they'd had an argument; would she be able to live with herself knowing that her father died angry at her?

"Kory, are you alright?" Dick asked, concerned.

"He's gone." Kory muttered. "He told me he was sick. He wanted me to come home."

"Stop; there's no reason to assume that yet. You heard Vic. Let's try sending a message back."

"Victor, please start preparing the ship for launch," Kory announced regally before walking toward the exit. "I must go pack for my immediate return to Tamaran.

Dick raised his hand before launching out of the room after his fiancé. "Wait." He skidded to a halt in front of her and held his hands out prompting her to stop walking. "Do you at least want to talk first? This is a pretty big deal."

"I have no choice. If I stay, Sorond'r will reign as Grand Ruler. I will not be forced back home like a caged animal."

"If that's the only reason you're going back then you don't have to. I will do everything in my power to make sure that nothing happens to you." He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek. "I promise."

"It is my duty to take the throne and extinguish this situation. It would be a disgrace to my family's legacy if I did not at least try." Kory dropped her head, not wanting to look Dick in the eye. "I do not know how long my presence will be required. What if something happens and I am not able to return back to Earth?"

Dick placed a finger under her chin and brought her eyes to his. "Don't talk like that."

"But it is true; I do not know what waits for me."

"That's why I'm coming with you," Dick said with a nod. "That way, if anyone tries anything shady, they'll have to answer to me."

"I cannot let you do that." Kory shook her head. "The planet is a war-zone; it would be unsafe."

"I don't care; I'm going." Dick answered adamantly.

"My father has you banned from the planet, Dick."

"They can carry me off the planet or they can throw me in prison; I'm not letting you go through this alone – not without a fight."

"Dick, I-" Kory began to protest.

"No buts. I'm going." Dick said with an air of finality. "Just tell me what I need to pack."

Kory wrapped Dick in a tight hug. "Thank you."

**~*~Present Day, T-Ship, 5 days from Earth~*~**

"Victor?" Dick called out as he entered the pilot chambers. "Are you in here?"

Victor, who Dick had immediately noticed wasn't in his chair, stuck his head out from behind a partition. "Yeah, bro, I'm here. What's up?"

Dick didn't respond; instead, he let out a sigh and plopped down in Victor's chair – his pilot's chair to be exact.

"Do I even need to ask how Goldie's holdin' up?" the cyborg walked out into the room, polishing a piece of his armor with a cloth.

"No."

"Okay then, how are _you_ holdin' up?"

Dick sighed and propped his chin up with the palm of his hand. "She's pissed off at me."

Victor also sighed and made his way over to place a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "She won't be for long; you know that."

"She's blaming me for _everything_." He frowned, the guilt overwhelming. "There's nothing I can say or do to make this better."

"Remember when Gar started that water balloon fight that got Silky sick?" Dick nodded and Victor continued. "And remember when the little worm died, Kory placed all blame on him and wouldn't talk to him for a couple of weeks?" Dick nodded a second time and again, Victor continued. "She got over that; Garfield was sure that she'd never forgive him, but –"

Dick launched himself out of the seat. "There's a huge difference between a pet and a planet."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down." Victor stretched out his robotic arms in an attempt to calm him down. "All I meant was that Kory will come around; she always does."

"Why does the universe hate me?" Dick asked no one in particular, even though Victor was the only other person in the room.

"Man, you know you did the right thing," Victor said as he reclaimed his seat in the pilot's chair. "You just gotta stand by that and know that she'll see it, too." He pressed a few buttons and then took control of the wheel. "Maybe you should just go try and get some rest. You haven't slept in over 32 hours."

"Yeah." He nodded and walked out of the room, offering a half-smile and wave to Victor as he exited. His friend was right, but Dick knew that sleep wouldn't come easy - especially in leiu of Kory's silence. He stopped at her door on the way to his suite, his head desperatly wanting to give her the space that she asked for, but his heart not letting him oblige.

"Kory?" Dick spoke to the metal door, knowing that she could hear him. "Look, I know you're in there; I wish you'd just answer."

He sighed heavily and banged his head lightly against the wall. "Well, I am going to bed - come get me if you need me." With that, Dick launched himself toward the bedroom where he knew he wouldn't be able to go to sleep. Only five more days and he would be home.


End file.
